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Species
The Star Wars galaxy contains a bewildering variety of species, each with it's own unique outlook and civilization. Although Humans dominate the known galaxy, there are many intelligent alien species that can be encountered wherever you travel. Humans live among the Core Worlds, throughout the Mid Rim, and even on the worlds of the Outer Rim territories. Most of the alien species have their own homeworld and colonies, but individuals can be found anywhere, thanks to the prevalence of hyperspace travel. The promise of profit and power often lure members of all species to the same areas, including spaceports and metropolitan cities. Sometimes it's easy to believe that all Rodians are outlaws or all Wookiees are short-tempered, but the truth is that every member of every species is unique. Depending on the era in which your campaign is set, nonhuman species have different advantages or disadvantages, as explained in the Era Notes: Species section. Choosing a Species After you roll your Ability Scores and before you write them on your Character Sheet, choose your character's species. At the same time, you'll want to select your character's Class, since species affects how well the character can do in each Class. Once you've decided your character's species and Class, assign Ability Scores to particular Abilities. Alter the scores according to the species ability modifiers and continue detailing your character. You can play a character of any species presented below, but certain species do better pursuing certain Classes. Your character's species provides plenty of clues as to the sort of person he or she is, how he or she feels about characters of other species, and what motivates him or her. Remember, however, that the species descriptions only apply to the majority of people. In each species, some individuals diverge from the norm, and your character can be one of these. Don't let a description hinder you from detailing your character as you like. Species Characteristics Your character's species determines some of his or her qualities. Ability Adjustments Find your character's species on the tables provided further below and apply the adjustments that you see there to your character's ability scores. If the changes raise a above 18 or lower it below 3, that's okay. For example, a Rodian gets a +2 species bonus on his Dexterity score and a -2 penalty on his Wisdom and Charism scores. Knowing this, the player puts her best score rolled (15) in Dexterity and sees it increase to 17. She doesn't want a Wisdom or Charisma penalty for her character, so she puts above-average scores (13 and 12) in Wisdom and Charisma. These drop to 11 and 10, for neither a bonus nor a penalty. Known Languages The primary language used throughout known space is called Basic. Most characters can speak Basic, and all characters understand it even if they can't speak it. Nonhuman characters can also speak, read, and write the language associated with their species; for example, Bothans speak, read, and write Bothese as well as Basic. Characters with an Intelligence bonus know how to speak, read, and write other languages as well. For each point of Intelligence bonus, a character can speak, read, and write one additional language of their choice. Some species (Gamorreans and Wookiees, for example) are incapable of speaking any other language other than their native tongue, but they can learn to read and write other languages just fine. Common Languages The Star Wars ''galaxy is home to millions of languages but picking languages for your character doesn't need to be daunting. A few of the most common languages are listed below. Among these, Basic is the most widely spoken. Other prevalent languages include Huttese (particularly common in the Outer Rim), Binary (used by droids and programmers), and Bocce (a trade language that can be spoken by almost any species). * Basic * Binary * Bocce * Bothese * Cerean * Dosh * Durese * Ewokese* * Gamorrean * Gunganese* * High Galactic * Huttese * Ithorese * Jawa Trade Language* * Kel Dor * Mon Calamarian * Quarrenese * Rodese * Ryl * Shyriiwook * Sullustese * Zabrak *Local language not widely spoken except on its planet of origin. Species List The below Species are all Species contained in the ''Star Wars Saga Edition Core Rulebook.. *''This Species was cut from the final version of the system to save for space, but are still applicable for Character Creation.'' **''These Species, while not originally intended for character use, are still usable for Character Creation.'' Additional Near-Humans Throughout much of the galaxy, Humans are the most commonly encountered Species. Not surprisingly, after a millennium of interstellar travel and colonization, an enormous number of humanoids share a common genetic code. Commonly called Near-Humans, these humanoids are substantially the same as Humans in look and physiology, but exhibit one or more differences significant enough to set them apart. The origins of most Near-Humans are not known, but the common assumption is that isolated groups naturally adapt to the specific environmental conditions of their current world. These conditions occasionally cause genetic mutations, improving the Near-Humans' likelihood of survival. However, genetic engineering and cloning technology are other possible explanations for Near-Humans' variation from Human norms. Classification efforts are further complicated by the many bipedal humanoid species that are unrelated to Humans. Looks can be deceiving. In the Star Wars Roleplaying Game Saga Edition, Near-Humans have only small differences from Humans. These differences might be cosmetic, physiological, or, most commonly, both. Players and Gamemasters wanting to create their own Near-Human characters should use the following Near-Human generation system. Creating Near-Humans To create a Near-Human, start with the base Human Species. Next, select one of the traits from the Near-Human Traits table below, replacing either the bonus trained Skill or the bonus Feat that Humans normally receive. Finally, select one, two, or three minor physiological variations from the Near-Human Variants table below. These variants are typically cosmetic, but Gamemasters might allow a variant to have a minor mechanical roleplaying effect. Variants normally should not cause a Near-Human character to incur a penalty to attack rolls or skill checks, but it might occasionally do so at the Gamemaster's discretion. As always, the Gamemaster has the final say in trait and variant combinations allowed in his or her game. Additional Species List The below Species are the available Species included in all known Star Wars Saga Edition Addons. Additional Additional Species List The below Species, while not integrated into the Star Wars Saga Edition system, are (With the approval of your Gamemaster) perfectly valid selections for player Species. The majority of these Species were taken from the Star Wars Revised Edition Alien Anthology Rulebook, although there are also fan-detailed Species as well. Era Notes: Species Nonhuman characters have some restrictions placed upon them, depending on the era in which your campaign is set. These restrictions are described below: * '''The Rise of the Empire (50 to 0 years before Episode IV)- '''During the time that saw the erosion of the Old Republic and the rise of the Empire, including the period around Episodes I-III, all species participated in a more or less cosmopolitan galaxy. The only restrictions on your choice of alien species in this time frame refer to species that had not yet "Been discovered" by the galaxy at large. Ewoks, therefor, are not available if your campaign is set in this era. * '''The Rebellion (0 to 5 years after Episode IV)- '''The Empire was particularly entrenched with anti-alien sentiments. During this period of galactic history, most alien species were either enslaved or subjugated by the Empire. In the Outer Rim, nonhuman species continued to carry on their lives as normally as they were able, but in the more civilized regions, nonhumans were relegated to the status of second-class citizens- or worse. Many aliens joined the Rebellion, fighting alongside Humans in an effort to throw off the shackles of oppression and tyranny. Ewoks show up late in this era, during the Battle of Endor, and free Wookiees rarely appear due to their statues as slaves of the Empire. Late in this era, with the decline of the Empire and the birth of the New Republic, nonhumans once again take a prominent role in the affairs of the galaxy. * '''The New Jedi Order (25+ years after Episode IV)- '''All alien species are available without restriction in this time frame. The era is marked by the New Republic's battle against the Yuuzhan Vong invaders and tainted by growing distrust of the Jedi Knights.